Hideout Golf Club & Resort Stay & Play Review

On the way home to Austin from a fantastic two days at Outlaws & Legends Music Festival in Abilene we decided to play a round of golf and spend the night at - and we had a fantastic time! The Hideout Golf Club & Resort  is located on 1400 acres just north of Brownwood in the Pecan Valley on the Pecan Bayou surrounded by rolling hills and prairies and bordering the 7300 surface acre Lake Brownwood.

As we walked up to the Clubhouse/Lodge we both uttered a "wow!" The Lodge sits on a bluff overlooking a couple of the golf holes, a putting green, the infinity pool, a valley of rolling hills and dense trees and a patch of Lake Brownwood off in the distance. The grounds are well landscaped with lush thick grass and lots of colorful flowers. We're in for a treat.

We signed in at the pro shop, loaded the clubs in the cart, and teed off on the first hole - a long par 5 that dog legs right around a cluster of trees and a bunker and heads past a lake on the left to a skinny oblong green with a right side bunker and a pond hidden on the right. I found the fairway bunker, the pond on the left, as well as what was no longer a hidden pond. Four over par but I loved the hole and quickly downed two Advil and flagged down the cart lady for a cold beer. After that my game got a little better (although I lost a couple balls in the water, listened as several of my golf balls ricocheted off the trees scaring the squirrels, and I took home enough sand from the bunkers in my pockets, hair, and shoes to build a sand box for the grandkids! The good news is the cart lady was very prompt and we saw her quite often - and I was probably on a better roll than my putting. We loved the course - it's fun, very fair, scenic, and a great layout. Read our review of The Hideout Golf Club to learn more.

After our round we put the clubs in the car, returned the cart, and headed straight up the stairs for some drinks on the patio and to pay off my golf bets and reminisce about how next time I would play much better. The patio outside the bar has a fantastic view of the first hole, putting green and driving range, rolling hills, and Lake Brownwood in the distance. I could have sat there for hours playing dominos and drinking beer but my body kept saying "hit the hot tub."

So i changed into the swim suit and jumped in the hot tub. Wow another beautiful view - but this time it was from the hot tub and overlooking a large infinity pool facing the same view you get from the patio. The view and what the hot bubbly water did to my golf kinks plus another cold drink made me quickly forget how poorly I played. I might have stayed submerged in the hot tub for another couple hours but my tummy and my wife both insisted it was time for dinner.

I put on some clothes to cover my red wrinkled body and headed just a long three putt from our upstairs room to the full service restaurant and bar which has fireside or outdoor patio dining and what they claim are the best steaks in town. The bar area has a sports bar look and feel with 3 flat screen TVs, a fireplace, a great view, and a full bar and the restaurant is open 7 days a week for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. For lunch I enjoyed a huge Texas Cheesesteak Sandwich with sweet potato fries. Some of the other lunch choices included a variety of salads, half pound Angus burgers on a toasted Ciabatta bun, wraps, and sandwiches. We also ate breakfast (two eggs, bacon or sausage, toast, and hashbrowns, grits, or biscuit and gravy for six bucks - I paid $18 for the same thing at a major San Antonio resort two weeks earlier!

For dinner my wife enjoyed a honey jalapeno glazed pork chop with seasoned green beans and a Caesar salad and I devoured a huge delicious chicken fried steak that took up most of the plate plus gravy, mashed potatoes, and a salad. Some of the other choices included a black Angus ribeye, beef tenderloin, grilled salmon, shrimp basket, and more. Wings, sliders, mozzarella sticks, shrimp cocktail, and nachos were some of the appetizers. And the prices were very reasonable.

Now I'm sunburned, wrinkled from the hot tub, stuffed to the brim from all that good food, a tad tipsy, and ready for bed. I waddled a flop shot to our room and was asleep and snoring within minutes after closing the door! The bed was unbelievably soft and cushy and very hard to get out of the next morning. We stayed in one of the six rooms which are in the Lodge with the bar and restaurant. There are three rooms on the top floor and the bottom floor, which is also home to the pro shop, has three more rooms. The rooms are new (2014), very clean, and have a king or two doubles, a nightstand, a desk, dresser, flat screen TV, coffee maker, free wifi, and a tiled bathroom and shower. Perfect for golf stay and play.

Adjacent to the Lodge and on the way to the first hole are 4 cabins with one bedroom, a small refrigerator in a kitchenette, a living area, a loft, and a deck out the front door. The stay and play rates are very reasonable and include unlimited golf for two days, cart usage, range balls, and use of all of the amenities.

Speaking of amenities, the pool complex is fantastic and very upscale and better than some of the pools at major resorts in Texas. I mentioned the hot tub and its a level above the large infinity pool with a fantastic view. Surrounding the pool are comfortable outdoor pool chairs and a bean bag toss game. The infinity edge cascades into a small pond/pool below the pool level - a great place to cool off in the pond and relax in a lounge chair with a view and the sounds of the waterfall!

In addition to the restaurant, golf course, and fantastic pool area, some of the other amenities you can enjoy during your stay include:

• a function room, lounge and outdoor pavilion for weddings, meetings, reunions, and events
• driving range and putting green where I should have spent more time
• pro shop with all the basics that you'll need to not only look good but to play better
• playscape for the kids
• sand volleyball court

If you like to fish the two stocked ponds at the Resort are just waiting for you. Or rent a boat or hire a fishing guide and enjoy some fishing for bass, white crappie, or catfish on Lake Brownwood. Or rent a boat or jet ski and enjoy the 100 miles of Lake Brownwood shoreline for boarding, tubing, or just cruising the lake. Downtown Brownwood is 10 minutes south and it's got a little bit of everything to enjoy.

Have fun.